ORIGINAL: rc34074
However, if you want a perfect power source for 3d I suggest you go to electric - this eliminates carb adjustments and I believe electric will soon take over in 3d. Several local 3d pilots have gone though a number of different engines looking for the ideal engine and the closest seems to be desert aircraft as far as glow or gas goes.
For a start, there are *plenty* of engines out there that are wickedly good for 3D -- offering gobs of power and lightning fast transition.
The OS46, OS50, OS55, TT46Pro and any number of other good 40-55 sized motors are great examples of this.
These engines are also so good that, even when you change mufflers or props, it only takes a quick tweak of the needle to get them back on song and 100% reliable. Oh that ST carbies were as good :-(
The future of 3D is *not* electric -- unless you're a part-time 3D flier who's happy to spend a small fortune on batteries or wait an hour between flights. Neither of those options appeals to most of the hard-core 3Ders I know. As soon as they land, they want to fuel-up and fly again. And, for the price of a single 4s, high-current LiPo, you can buy enough fuel to last you all year.
Finally, Desert Aircraft don't make glow motors -- and their gasers are good -- but not necessarily the best. There are plenty of folks who'll argue that ZDZ, 3W or a raft of other manufacturers produce better products.
I've got a ZDZ160 and I'm *very* pleased with it. A friend just benched his DA100 in favor of a ZDZ because the ZDZ gave more power, better throttling and less vibration.